269 replies to this topic

[Gator Bob]

Kinda like NOM?
 
N_ewO_ldM_emories    

[Gator Bob]

Circa 1990.
 

[John Streisguth]

I remember that place... they had a track with a loop-de-loop, didn't they??

[Superbird]

Hi Guys,

 

I was just telling a friend about visiting relatives in New Jersey in the early '70s and frequenting B&J Raceway, 215 Haddon Ave, Westmont, NJ. They had great big tracks and a multi lane lane 1/24th and HO throw switch drag strip.

 

That's me in the second picture re-slotting one of my hardbody NASCAR Dodge Daytonas on the big track. The track was great for top end speed runs. For fun I've dropped a shot of two of my Daytonas (I had three for different motor classes) on their transporter. In those early college days I was a toolmaker for a car alignment tool company and I was briefly on a NASCAR/USAC Grand National team - George Wiltshire Racing.

 

Cheers!

Superbird

 

 

 

 

[Superbird]

Hello Folks,

 

Hurricane Raceway!

 

New Jersey tracks! In the early '70s I raced at Phaze III Raceway, Farmingdale, NY owned by Roy Crawley. One day Roy asked some of us racers to give him a hand on a Sunday. A track over the river in Jersey had closed and Roy had arranged to buy the tracks. So we scrounged up a couple of vans and Roy rented a U-Haul truck and off we went across Manhattan and into the wilds of Jersey.

 

The track was set up in the showroom of an active body shop. The shop owner and the mechanics loved slot racing so much they established a great store and a very active racing venue. It was called Hurricane Raceway. Sadly the owner died of a heart attack and his wife was selling out to the walls. While there I was able to buy a few brand new, in the clear styrene click-boxes, CLASSIC cars. I also bought the wall clock which bears the logo Hurricane Raceway. I still have the CLASSIC cars but the plastic boxes got used and destroyed over the years.

 

We cleaned out the place pretty efficiently and headed out. I happened to end up with Roy in the rental truck on the trip back and we had a nice opportunity to talk without the usual hustle and hurry pressure of a race night. It was probably the only time we actually talked about things other than slot racing. He was a character but was really dedicated to the hobby/sport.

 

Cheers!

 

Superbird Pete

 

 

 

 

 

[Noose]

Raced at that place many times. The owners were great people.

[John Streisguth]

Since there has been some mention of tracks during the early 90's (which was when I became active in slots again), here's the ones I remember that opened in Northern NJ circa 1990-1992:

-Zeppelin Hobbies

-Radical Raceway

-Hot Slots

-small place in Boonton NJ that had a hillclimb, was also a sub shop

-Rockaway Raceway

-another slot track in the flea market in Rockaway

-a place in an industrial park in the Ledgewood/Randolph area that had a modern "purple mile", I think built by Hasse

-circa 1996, a shop in Garfield(?) that did wheels and stereos for cars, they had a routed HO track (rare at that time) and a big banked oval that also had an infield road course

 

To my knowledge, all of these with the exception of Zeppelins were closed within 2 years of opening. I'll check my old SARN issues for any I missed.

[Pete L.]

Fellas,
 
If anyone has any photos of Hurricane Raceway could they post them here?
 
Thanks,

[Gator Bob]

I remember that place... they had a track with a loop-de-loop, didn't they??

 
Yeah   that was a HO/Hotwheels flashback when I saw that. First and only time to see a 1/24 looped-diddy.
 
I remember racing on a red Cobra style track(?).
Dropped in one Sat. night for a G-10 NASCAR race and got a spot on the podium, second if IRC against 9 or 10 of the 'locals' and Nicky raced, too.
 
Only went once... Nice place but to far to travel from RiverVale... no, not Riverdale...

[Peter Horvath]

I wasn't around for Mini Wheels in Highland Park, but I happened across a Highland Park home movie on a Facebook group (of course), and so I took a screenshot...
 

[Tudo]

I cried when they closed Cranford Raceways. Was there every weekend, my Mom would drop me off. Had quite a few blue ribbons from there. Loved the "upstairs" track although my fav was the one as soon as you walked in the front door

 

For me this was the last couple of years of little boy fun before getting into all the other fun the era held for us:)

[Paul Kovich]

I raced for a brief period at a track in Manville NJ, run by a guy who previously had a track farther south in NJ, Cranford or Cranbury or Fords, not realy sure. This was in 66-68 ?? The last time I had raced at a commercial track was in Huntington WVa in the early 60's. My Dad worked at Johns Manville in Manville and he told me about the track opening. Went there with a friend and started racing some. With the stuff i got there I eventually went to a race at Nutley and did Ok. I think the Manville track had two tracks one was a Kingleman I believe. This was towards the end and he never really made it there and closed down within a year I think.

[Gator Bob]

Any of youz go to Radical Raceway in Lodi?

 

Here is one I forgot about from the mid-90s. One of my Salesmen went to school with the owner and we stopped in after looking at a job.

I was not running slots at that time.... too many other Fun Projects... no time for slots then.

 

 

 

[Uncle Fred]

I raced there from 1993 till they closed up about 10 yrs later.  Actually the owner died and his brother and sister ran the place. We would run marshall free GR27 races there on Tuesday nights.

[Uncle Fred]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned Majestic Raceway that was in Pt Pleasant and then Brick NJ

[John Streisguth]

Waas that the hobby shop with a slot track in the middle of downtown Point Pleasant in the 60's?

[Uncle Fred]

No, maybe 94 till 00?  The PP track was a tiny home built road course but the one in Brick had a brand new Tunkle King, an oval and a dragstrip.  They even held a USRA race there.

[tonyp]

There was one in Plainfield in the 90's. It was 10 minutes from my house in Middlesex. Once I found it, I got to take my nephew twice to play before they closed.

 

Funny thing is I thought the track looked familiar and when I walked around it there was the lettering, Checkered Flog Raceway. It was the same track that was in Clementon, that Ernie, Tom Lowden and I had our way on for quite awhile. I won an ARCO on it battling Joel for all 8 heats...

[tonyp]

The Edison shop was whereBob Emott and myself did some of the slotworks controller/car/motor testing..

[Uncle Fred]

There was a track in Freehold in the mid 80's that moved to Englishtown.  They had a purple mile.  The raceway later morphed into an RC only raceway.  In the mid 90's there was a track in the Highlands as well.

[tonyp]

American hobbies. Larry Weidermier (spelling) was the owner. Closed in the middle of the night, Opened up a smaller raceway with RC right by Englishtown Drag strip. Eventually took out the slot track and built an indoor RC track..

[Uncle Fred]

Yes! They had an outdoor off road course as well.

[tonyp]

And that turned into a dirt oval or visa versa. It was then removed in place of a pavement on road track and a new off-road track was built behind the on-road one.